Owner: Rocks In My Dryer URL:http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/ Join Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 22:31:19 -0500 Rating:1 Site Description: The sleep-deprived ramblings of a busy, saved-by-grace mom who does NOT have her act together. Site statistics:Click here
"Yes Indeedy, I'm Back!" She Says Happily 2006-10-23 07:01:00 First of all, HI!
Second of all, I have to confess that I wasn't completely honest with you. When I said I was taking a breather from this blog because I was feeling "stale", that was a gross understatement. "Fed up entirely" might have been more accurate. This little blog that began on a whim a year ago (and has been a source of such joy and has brought so many wonderful friendships) had, strangely, burnt me out to the point of putting my head right through the monitor. And then I felt guilty for...well, for no particular reason except that we good Southern girls always assume the guilt is ours entirely.
I was surprised that for about the first three or four days, I didn't miss this ol' blog at all. Not one bit. I thought that might be my "sign"...was I really done? But as the week progressed, I found myself once again composing posts in the shower and taking snapshots of funny things to share--and I realized that maybe I need this silly little outlet more than I thought
2006-10-18 23:32:44 *UPDATED AGAIN* By now you've probably already heard the heartbreaking news that this sweet boy passed away on Saturday. Beautiful tributes are springing up all over the blogosphere; I don't know what else I can add, except to say that I will remember him and his story that touched us all so deeply. I pray with my whole heart that God of all hope will pour out his love to this grieving family. You may leave a note of sympathy here.
*UPDATED* The news is not good (see here)--please continue to lift up this family.
Checking in quickly just to make you've heard about this. Please pray for this little boy and his family.
See you next week.
Brain Re-Boot 2006-10-13 09:01:00 You know how when your computer is gimped up and nothing else seems to work, you just re-boot the darn thing? I've been feeling pretty stale and bored in my blogging lately, and I think this brain of mine needs a healthy re-boot. My good friend (and go-to girl on All Things Bloggy) the Daring Young Mom tells me that most people seem to get a hearty dose of blog burnout at the one-year mark, and sure enough, my first blog-iversary is approaching in early November. I will be back on Monday, Oct. 23 in plenty of time to write about my giddy excitement over the We Wanna Meet gathering on October 27.
I think the earth shall somehow manage to continue its orbit if we skip Works-For-Me Wednesday for just one week, so it's canceled for October 18.
Oh, a couple more things before I go...
First, the Reynolds Wrap people are doing a fun promotion right now called "Shape Up Your Bake Sale" (and oh, can we mommas do the bake sales...). If you go to this website, you can register to wi Read more:Brain
More About the Jesse Tree 2006-10-11 21:03:28 I just realized that the link I gave you regarding the Jesse
Tree was an old link, and not very helpful. Anyway, I got so many private e-mails on the subject, I thought I'd spend a little more time telling you how we did this.
First, the name "Jesse Tree" comes from Isaiah 11:1-2A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -The idea, of course, is that Christ came from the "stump of Jesse" (Jesse's "tree", get it?), and all of the Old Testament points toward the coming of Christ as Messiah.
You will find on-line several different collections of devotionals; many have been written over the years. Do an Amazon search on Jesse Tree for some ideas. We used the devotions here; I simply printed them out and put them in a folder. We tweaked
Works For Me: Jesse Tree 2006-10-11 07:01:00
Yes, it's true--I'm one of those annoying people that starts thinking about and planning for Christmas in August. And I shall now subject you to my madness. (With good reason, though, because this little idea will actually take quite a while to pull together, if you're so inclined).
Last year I put together a Jesse
Tree for our families. If you aren't familiar with this well-loved holiday tradition, you can read more about it here. To summarize, we put a two-foot tree on a table in our living room, and beginning on December 1, we get out an ornament each day. The first ornament represents creation, and we read a little devotional on creation. Then each devotional takes us through the Old Testament, showing how it all pointed to Christ, until Christmas Eve, when we finish by placing the star on the top of the tree. Really, it's a lovely tradition that has taught us all a great deal.
If you'd like to share your clever ideas with all of Bloggityville, leave your link bel Read more:Works
Takin' Care of Business 2006-10-10 23:12:00 The Carnival of Kid Comedy is up over at Life In a Shoe. If you don't make this regular feature part of your blog exploring each Tuesday, you really should!
Melissa, a faithful reader here, has written about a heart-rending tragedy facing her town over at her blog, Breath of Life. Please read it, and join with her town in prayer.
Tomorrow is Works-For-Me Wednesday; I'd love for you to play along. If you have any questions, please read through the guidelines here. Read more:Business
, Takin
Quick!... 2006-10-10 21:13:00 ...whatever you're doing, STOP it, right now, and go send your husband (or wife, for my male readers--all four of you) a flirty, fun e-mail or text message at work. Right now. Extra points for *ahem, ahem* making him blush. Do it! Right now!
Read more:Quick
Let the Party Pooper-ing Begin 2006-10-10 18:34:00 This last week, seven-year-old Stephen was invited to go with a friend to a rock concert. A ROCK CONCERT. He's seven. Seven. Did I mention he's seven? Isn't your first rock concert supposed to be some sort of grand, coming-of-age experience? And isn't it supposed to happen when you're, say, 14 or 15? I declined the invitation, as politely as I could (though I was honest and told the other mom that "we feel like a rock concert is a bit much for a seven year old", which she probably took as a judgment on her own parenting decisions, but oh well...)
And THEN, not 24 hours later, nine-year-old Adam was invited to a sleepover. At a girl's house. My wonderfully naive boy could not understand why this was unacceptable to us, and I told him he'd just have to trust Dad and me on this one until he's old enough to understand. Thankfully, that was good enough for him. This time.
And so it begins. These boys are slowly but surely entering the pre-adolescent years, in which eve Read more:Party
, Pooper
What I Accomplished On My Bloggy Vacation 2006-10-24 07:36:00 I didn't just have a massive bloggy identity crisis over the last ten days; I also got a good bit of livin' done. Here were some of the highlights--
1. I got my pantry organized and stocked for winter, which sounds very Laura Ingalls Wilder-ish of me, don't you think? Because you know, the winters are long out here on the prairie...Seriously, though, if we endure a nuclear holocaust sometime in the next three months, just come by my house. I have enough cream of mushroom soup for all of us. Here's a picture of the finished product (and why, yes, those ARE typed labels on each shelf, thank you for noticing...)
2. While my friend Chilihead was on a trip with her mom last week, I kept her kids all day on Wednesday (they were out of school for fall break). It will come as no surprise to you that these kids are absolutely hilarious--of course, they would be, with Chilihead's DNA coursing through their genes. They spent much of the day outside building this contraption:
3. Read more:Vacation
There Is No Way This Story Will Be As Funny In The Re-Telling, But I'll Try Anyway 2006-10-24 19:58:00 Last night over dinner, our boys were complaining about having to share something with each other. Hubs reminded them sternly, "Do you boys realize how much Mom and I share with you? Our time, our house, our money, our bed, our food..."
Joseph suddenly interrupted. "And your clocks."
"Um, yes, Joseph, I suppose we share our clocks with you," Hubs said, just before choking with laughter on his soup.
I think the message somehow got a little convoluted. Read more:Anyway
, Funny
, Telling
Back In Business 2006-10-25 02:43:00 After a week's hiatus, Works-For-Me Wednesday is back tomorrow. Come bring your clever ideas! Guidelines can be found here. Read more:Business
Works For Me: Make-Your-Eyes-Roll-Back-In-Your-Head Biscuits 2006-10-25 07:01:00
Seriously. These biscuits are THAT good. And THAT easy, too.
Take approximately 3 cups of Bisquik baking mix. Add approximately 1/2 cup brown sugar. Slowly add milk, stirring as you go until the mix is moistened just enough to stick together in dough-y little balls (sorry I'm not more exact; I wing it every time on this).
Form the dough into balls into a size of your choosing and flatten slightly (the dough is very sticky; it's much easier if you moisten your hands with water first). Bake at 425 for about 9 minutes. Here's a picture of the finished product:
These are SO good your family might eat them all before they make it to the table!
Want to share your clever idea with all of Bloggityville? Leave your link below! First-timers, please read through the guidelines here.
Read more:Biscuits
, Works
"This Is Shannon Dryer, Live Blogging To You From Sunny Ft. Worth, Texas..." 2006-10-29 06:49:54 I have laughed so much in the last 24 hours that my abs hurt. This is either a good indication of how funny this blogging crowd is, or a sign that my abs need more work than I thought they did.
I have so much to tell you about this weekend, and I don't even know where to start. Since it's late on a Saturday night, I think I'll just not start at all. I just wanted to check in and reassure you that we had not, in fact, stumbled into den of serial killers. Check back for a much better update tomorrow or Monday! Read more:Blogging
, Dryer
, Shannon
, Sunny
, Texas
, Worth
Weekend Wisdom 2006-10-28 16:03:00 There are two ways to get enough: one is to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less. --G.K. Chesterton Read more:Weekend
, Wisdom
The Big Day 2006-10-27 13:28:00 I am in the midst of the Mad Scramble Which Must Occur In Order For Mom To Leave Town Alone For The Weekend. In a few short hours, Chilihead and I will be on the road to Dallas for a gathering of about 25 bloggin' girls from all over the country. I am so absolutely beside myself with excitement that I'm having a terrible time trying to get my work done today.
And I'm nervous. Just a teensy bit nervous. I even got my nails done. I never get my nails done. I was hoping that it might make up for the fact that I'm not nearly as clever in person as I am in writing (and I'm not that clever in writing). Here's hoping that pretty nails go a long way.
Many of these women I feel that I know very well, though I've only met a couple face-to-face and talked with a couple more on the phone. My sweet yet cynical Hubs, who is neither a mommy nor a blogger (and can therefore not adequately understand this mommy-blogging phenomenon) reminds me that I don't KNOW these women, I simply
Amen, Sister! 2006-10-26 21:26:00 Don't miss this hilarious (and true, true, TRUE) post over at Jules' place...
Product Review: Philips BabyCare Monitor 2006-10-26 07:54:00 It was with the teensiest bit of guilt I agreed to review the new Philips
BabyCare Digital Monitor
. It retails for $199 on Amazon.com--could I really, in good conscience, give a good review to a *gulp* $200 baby monitor? I've had four babies and three monitors, and not a one of them cost more than $40 (the monitor, not the babies. The babies have cost considerably more.)
But oh-my-word, then I received it in the mail. I set it up (without having to read the instructions!). I turned it on. For the love of all that is good and cordless, y'all, NOW I understand the phrase "you get what you pay for". This is the Cadillac of baby monitors. I swear, it does everything except get up in the middle of the night and change the baby's diaper (wait, maybe I should go read those instructions...).
Let me give you a line-by-line description of what makes this baby monitor so convenient:
It's digital. That means no interference. Where we live now, interference hasn't been a huge is
Thanks, Peach! 2006-10-26 02:20:52 Is there anything better than getting a real-live letter in the mail? Maybe a package. No, an unexpected package. My friend Peach
in Georgia (that's pronounced JAW-juh) sent me these books and this beautiful hand-made card in the mail today as a thank-you for helping her on her blog design (which took me all of ten minutes, so I'm ashamed to accept a gift at all...) And yes, I can take a hint--alright, alright, I'll try Christian fiction...
Anyhoo, thank you, Peach. You're...well, you're a peach. Read more:Thanks
This Is Taking Longer Than I Thought 2006-10-30 05:41:42 Really, I'm going to tell you all about the blogging extravaganza. I promise. I am back at home, finally coming off the 48-hour adrenaline rush I've been on. I have so many funny stories to tell, but I need to unpack, love on my kids and hubby, put this house of mine back together, and regain some semblance of brain control. And get my camera out of Chilihead's car, so I can show you all the pictures. So...I'll post about it, really, just not right this instant. It was so great that I need to wait until I can do it justice! Stay tuned... Read more:Taking
I'm Back And, OH, I Have Stories To Tell 2006-10-30 16:57:43 This weekend was so eventful that I'm not sure where to start. So be warned, ahead lies a long and stream-of-consciousness post containing excruciatingly minute details that will probably only be interesting to those who where there. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Still reading? Good! Alright...first, here's a list of who all came to at least one of the weekend events (and I know I have left someone out--I apologize ahead of time. If you were there and didn't make it onto this list, will you e-mail me, please?):
Antique Mommy (Tina)
Created For His Glory (Lauren)
Days To Come (Jeana)
Don't Try This At Home (Chilihead)
Faithful Mommy (Faith)
Holding the Mirror to My Soul (Kep)
Holy Mama (Kelsey)
Home Sanctuary (Rachel Anne)
In the Midst Of It (Sarah)
Kisses of Sunshine (GiBee)
Life In a Nutshell (Megan)
Minnie Moments (Minnie)
My Mind...Lost...Strayed...or Stolen (Jan)
Overhead Under Grace (Kelly)
Raising Five (Katherine)
Reflecting Him (AggieJenn)
Rocks In My Read more:Stories
Humility 2006-10-31 07:25:00 Today Joseph innocently piped up from the backseat, "Mom, what would you look like if you were skinny?"
Nice. I guess this means I'm laying off the Three Musketeers tonight. Read more:Humility
Group Photo 2006-10-31 22:23:00 Courtesy of Antique Mommy, here's a group shot from our weekend gathering (don't you like Chilihead's sassy pose? Don't try this at home, ladies. Also, thank you to Jeana for e-mailing me to tell me that I look like a linebacker in this shot. Gee, honest friends are such a blessing. Ahem.)
If you haven't been over see Antique Mommy's, um, colorful take on the weekend, you're missing out. Go. Now. Read more:Group
, Photo
Brrrr.... 2006-11-01 03:22:03 I doubt the real Tinkerbell's momma made her wear Keds and a long sleeve shirt with her costume, but then again, it probably wasn't 38 flippin' degrees in Neverland.
Works For Me: Saving Candy 2006-11-01 07:01:00
In the category of Excruciatingly Cheap Mom Tricks That Will Probably Have My Kids In Therapy Someday, here's my little suggestion for all that Halloween candy that is probably overtaking your house right now. (On the right is a picture of my boys with the fruit of last night's labor, though I'm not sure "fruit" would be a very appropriate word choice.)
Go through it, pick out some good ones that don't have Halloween-ish decorations on them, put them in a big ziploc bag and freeze and...VOILA! Stocking stuffers in only two short months! Ho, ho, ho!
Yes, I'm that cheap. I do it every year, and (as far as I know) the kids haven't figured it out. Works
for me!
Feel free to share your WFMW link below. Please read through the guidelines if you have any questions.
Read more:Candy
, Saving
Yep, Still Me 2006-11-02 00:43:00 Like the new design? It's not as sassy as my old cartoon (she will surely be back!), but I was feeling like making a change. Cold weather has this effect on me--I get restless and cooped up and you should just see how often I rearrange my furniture and pictures every winter. That cheerful blue sky in the new header has me dreaming of warmer days.
So all that to say, if you hate this new design, don't worry, I'm sure I'll be changing it half a dozen time before spring! (If you don't see the new design, give it a few hours--sometimes it seems to take Explorer a while to catch up.)
Oh, and last thing...what do you think of this three-column format? Is it harder on the eyes? I've been thinking of adding some ads (ugh, I know, but a girl's gotta pay the bills somehow), and this would require me to go to three columns.
Product Review: Printakid Stories 2006-11-02 08:55:00 I've got a good one for you today!
Printakid books is a company that writes personalized stories for your child, using his or her name in the story, and his or her hair style/color, eye shape/color and skin tone in the illustrations. Additionally, they include the names of the parents and a few friends or siblings (I chose siblings).
Unfortunately, I can't show you the best review I have: the look of sheer amazement on Joseph's face when he saw his name in print. He's five, and he's just learning to read enough to recognize his own name and that of his family members. His jaw was on the floor when he saw us all in one book together. "Where did you get this?" he breathed.
They offer about a half dozen stories for you to personalize, including special Christmas and birthday versions. We chose the one pictured at right (In the Kingdom of Nevernight). Some of the features that particularly impressed me:
There's a page at the front for a "dedication": To Joseph--we love y Read more:Stories
One Year 2006-11-03 07:49:00 One year ago today was the first post on this blog. I had been reading blogs for a few months and had toyed around with starting one, but I couldn't quite commit. At my Hubs' urging (I'm sure he rues the day now), I finally made the plunge and set up Rocks In My Dryer over on Blogger.
I thought blogging was just about writing your thoughts and throwing them out there to CyberLand. I had no idea how you gained readers. I had no idea that you made friends. I had no idea about any of it. I couldn't tell you the difference between a blogroll and biscuit, and I thought a web ring was what Spiderman gave to his wife when he proposed.
But I've learned much this last year. I'm a better mother, a better friend and a better writer from the time I've spent putzing around blogs--my own and others. Thanks for reading, for commenting, for writing and for being a part of this quirky blogosphere. I'm glad we're here.
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